Activists Stage 'Ghost Protest' in South Korea

Activists in Seoul, South Korea found a clever way around their government's restrictions on public assemblies by staging a demonstration using holograms.

The so-called 'ghost protest' projected a dozen demonstrators rallying against the increasing amount of laws which many believe are stifling free speech in South Korea.

"We wanted to show that the situation has become so restrictive that only ghosts like these may freely march on the street," Kim Hee-Jin told the AFP.

Police allowed the 'virtual rally' to take place, but subsequently promised that organizers of the event will face strict consequences for their creative act of civil disobedience.

The demonstration highlights what critics contend in a troubling trend towards authoritarian rule in South Korea.

They point to excessive police force used against protestors in the past as well as the government's refusal to allow demonstrations for fear of traffic jams as evidence that the freedoms of South Korean citizens are being gravely threatened.

Whether the holographic demonstration may not be as entertaining as reanimating a departed rock star, it may be ultimately serve a far greater purpose.